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Questions and Answers
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Q. & A.
Real People & Mould
Q&A Removal
[October 15, 2003]
Q.
I am a Victim of Toxic Mould, we have a lawsuit against our home
owners insurance co, and the home owners association insurance
company, Mould was discovered in the townhouses that we lived in,
(I'm saying lived, ) because we had to evacuate our home, and
leave everything behind and find another place to live in, until
this case was settled, 3 and 1/2 years have gone by, I have
cancer, Multiple Myeloma, it is a Blood related cancer, and my
husband is also such with bronchial, and sinus problems which he
has never had before, My question is, the Medical profession
knows about it, and is turning a blind eye to it, the Insurance
companies certainly know about it, and they are making our lives
miserable, because they don't want to do anything about it, they
are the first ones to promise you anything, but when it comes to
do something about the problem they will drag you through the
courts, just so that they will not have to part with the money
that people pay them for Insurance. Why is there not a law to
protect the public, - why is the Medical profession keeping Mum
about it, and do not even want to get involved. What is going to
happen to the thousands of people that are so sick, and some
that have died, Where does one go from here.?
A.
The American legal system has been established and is
administered NOT to provide justice for mould victims such as
yourself, but only to enrichen lawyers and defendants rich
enough to pay good attorneys to escape paying for their mould
liability. One step I have taken is to co-author a lay book
explaining mould legal rights: Mould Legal Guide
[Mould Mart].
You are right that most doctors are still ignorant about the
health problems that arise from mould exposure. One step I have
taken is to help educate both physicians and their patients
about mould diagnosis and treatment is my new book Mould
Health Guide. I am sorry you and your husband are
suffering so much. One action I would strongly recommend to
you is not giving up in your fight for financial compensation
from the defendants. Defendants keep on stalling discovery
and trial dates so that the defendants can hopefully wear out
the victim plaintiffs to the extent that the plaintiffs give up
and dismiss their lawsuits.
[May 4, 2003]
Q.
My boy friend and I moved
into our home in Sutter Creek, CA in mid February. When we first
moved in, we noticed a small amount of mould was growing in the
bathroom. But with the age of the home, and the lack of
ventilation, we assumed it came with the territory and didn't mind
cleaning it. I am currently just past 4 months pregnant. There was
no need for alarm until we began to get extremely ill. After both
being ill off and on for 2 whole weeks, we noticed that the entire
wall in the bedroom was covered in black mould from the floor up.
We cleaned and notified the landlords of the mould. They suggested
that we keep cleaning to make sure the mould did not return. Also,
to move our things out of the bedroom and sleep in the living
room. When asked, they claimed this was the first time they had
this kind of problem in the home. The neighbor had told us that
the people before had to have the home repainted, with the
landlord's permission, due to the mould. We had the Health Dept
come out and look at the home, but they say there is nothing they
can do. The Health Dept suggested we move the furniture away from
the walls to keep our things from moulding anywhere else in the
home. When we did, we found MORE MOULD! On the wall in the living
room grew huge, black, fuzzy mould. We then moved all our belongings
out and into storage. The mould was tested, only to find out
that there were high traces of Cladosporium, and Alternaria. We
were out by early April. The landlords don't seem to care. We
notified them of the problem as soon as we noticed it was there.
They have yet to do anything about it. They are also preparing to
rent the home out again! My concerns are: even though we were
there only a short amount of time, we were still exposed to a
heavy amount of mould. I fear for my unborn child's health. And I
am wondering if we don't see symptoms now, will we see them later?
A. Whether or not you will
experience any lasting mould health effects from living in that
mould hell is partly a function of whether mould is already
growing inside your body and whether you mould decontaminated
all of your clothing and furniture and other possessions before
moving them into your next place to live. If you failed to
effectively clean mould spores and mould growth off of your
personal possessions, it is very likely that you have mould
cross-contaminated your present living quarters. You might want
to consult with an environmental attorney as to your rights to
damages for health testing, health care, damage to your
health, moving costs, and for professional decontamination of
your clothing and other personal possessions. Visit:
Mould Lawyer To know whether you have mould
growth inside your body, you need to be carefully examined and
tested by a mould-experienced physician such as a pulmonary
physician [lung doctor]. With your being pregnant, it is
important to know whether you have a mould problem in your body
and/or in your personal possessions because exposure to mould
infestation can cause birth defects and miscarriage.
[April 20, 2002]
Q. I would like to
first thank you for your very informative web site. My husband
and I recently bought a house built back in the 1950's. It's
original construction is cinder block, but with a wooden add
on. We have discovered since winter started that our "new roof"
has developed several leaks so far, effectively ruining the
brand new blown-in insulation we just paid for. We were told by
the owner that when it rains really hard for a while that the
crawl space under the house tends to flood a little, and that
all we needed to do was turn on the sump pump for a couple of
minutes to get rid of the water. Well we have since discovered
that we have to turn on this pump EVERY time it rains! And
there is so much water gushing out of this sump pump hose that
with the water pressure it could easily double as a fire hose.
It's unbelievable! It will run that way for up to 15 minutes to
a half hour! We have noticed a black mould on the interior brick
walls in a couple of the bedrooms. The heating duct runs along
the crawl space and had to be reconnected before we moved in as
the previous owner never ran the heat pump so it set
disconnected for who knows how long. We have been noticing
several of the classic signs that are described relating to
black mould. We noticed these signs before we even knew about
the harmful effects of mould, so they are not psychosomatic. My
husband has been suffering from severe mood swings, so much so
that he went to the doctor yesterday to see about
anti-depression drugs. We have both been getting nightly sore
throats, we have both been feeling that disconnected feeling
and mine has been so bad that I failed to recognize a couple of
long time friends of our when they showed up at our place of
unemployment unexpectedly! Until my husband said who they were,
I didn't even recognize them. I start to say something and
halfway through it I forget what I was talking about and how to
finish it. I was afraid I was in the beginning stages of
Alzheimer's disease , but I'm only 33 years old. I hoped that
wasn't the case. I have been having a lot of diarrhea, but I
thought that I only had Irritable Bowl Syndrome. I've been
waking up with night time nausea and have had a few bouts of
vomiting since living here. I am generally a very healthy
person. My daughter who is 15 has been complaining of headaches
often as do I and lately I've been suffering from leg pains much
like the growing pains you feel in your legs during puberty. I
know that I sound like a hypochondriac, but I really don't feel
very well anymore. Could we have a toxic mould problem? If so
who can help? We are flat broke and living from paycheck to
paycheck! Is there a govt. run agency that can help us with
this if in fact we are living in a sick house? How can we
relocate? We are Christians and so we cannot sell this place in
good conscious knowing what is wrong. Will we have to walk away
and let the bank foreclose? We intend to do a home sample test
of our home and send it to a lab to have it analyzed. That,
according to this web sight I went to, only caused $50 a sample,
but from what I have read it's a far cry from what it cost to
have someone come in and do a full test on your home! We are so
discouraged, we just don't know what to do other then pray.
None of this was disclosed to us but if we try and sue for what
it will cost to get out from under this sick house and recoup
the cost of our belongings, also contaminated, how do we know
that the previous owner even has that kind of money? Anyway I
know this has been lengthy, but we truly don't know what to do
this is very frustrating. No matter what though we will not
raise our children in a sick house, if we have to, I guess we
just abandon ship and ruin our credit for a while I really don't
know what else to do! Any info you have would be greatly
appreciated and badly needed. God bless you and your work.
A. Your first immediate step is to move out of the
house to a mould safe place to live. Since you have the same
problem that most people have [not enough money], you might
consider buying one or two tents from a local discount store and
living in your back or side yard so you can start living free of
the severe mould contamination that is going to be every where in
your home because of the severe roof water intrusion and crawl
space flooding. Don't take any clothing [except clothes you're
wearing] or other possessions out of the house because they will
be mould contaminated and they would thus cross-contaminate
wherever you move to. You should follow the directions of our
book Do it yourself Mould Prevention, Inspection, Remediation,
& testing Guide [available on
Mould Mart ] to disinfect all of your clothing,
furniture and other personal property of mould spores and mould
growth. For example, to remove mould spores from clothing, wash
the clothing at least twice in an automatic washer with 2 cups
of Borax laundry detergent. Borax is a natural mould killer and
mould cleaner. As to getting your money back and possible damages
from the seller [and realtor if there is one involved in the
sale to you and from the mortgage lender of your home [lender
liability], find out your legal rights by contacting an
environmental attorney in your area. Visit:
Mould Lawyer
[June 7, 2002]
Q.
There is a
mould problem in the apartment I rent. My young daughter has
developed respiratory problems due to the severity of the mould.
This has been confirmed by her pediatrician. My lease agreement
(signed 5 years ago) states that there is an automatic renewal of 12
months on the anniversary date of the original signing and also states
60 days written notice for termination of the lease agreement.
I have given the 60 days written notice, stating that we are moving
because of the mould problem and my daughter's illness caused by this.
My landlord now is giving me a hard time because I signed the original
agreement in March and I gave notice in June. Since the problem is
so severe and my child is very sick, can the landlord do anything
legally to me in this situation or can I do anything to prevent him from
suing me?
A.
A landlord owes a duty to provide a healthy apartment in which the
tenant can live without suffering building-related health problems.
You need to obtain the advice from a local attorney about your possible
rights against the landlord for harming your family's health, upcoming
medical bills, for having to disinfect mould from your personal
possessions prior to moving, moving expenses, etc. When your lawyer
starts going after your landlord for damages, your landlord may be more
cooperative about letting you out of the lease for the mould hell in
which your family is presently living.
[June 3, 2002]
Q.
I
am currently caught up in a conflict with my previous landlord over the
extensive mould I found in my walk-in closet. When I complained, they
evicted me and blamed me for the mould. They said that they found cat
urine on the carpet, and that was what caused the mould. I think they are
making up excuses, because I never left the closet door open because I
didn't want my cat to get in the closet. Also, they have had several
water line problems for which they have had to shut off the
complex's water in order to fix. They also say that there are no
pipes anywhere near the closet, which I find hard to believe considering
my bathroom is next to the closet. They even knocked holes in the
wall between the bathroom and closet. They have a letter from some
supposed professional saying that the mould was due to my neglect, and the
cat urine. Seriously, can cat urine cause mould? Oh, and this doesn't start to touch on the constant headaches I've had,
horrible nosebleeds, etc... Thanks for your help!
A.
If the cat urine left a specific area of carpet and padding beneath wet
for at least 24 hours, it is possible for mould to start growing from the
moisture provided by the pet's urine. If mould is growing on or in carpet,
there is a possibility of your cat having caused the carpeting mould
problem. Moulds can be caused by water problems resulting from pets, and
pets can become sick from moulds that may be inside the pet owner's home or
apartment. Pet mould can be a very big problem. But you kept your cat out
of the closet! If mould is growing inside or on closet walls, such
mould growth could only result from the closet walls becoming wet for more
than 24 hours. It is not likely that your cat was wetting walls or inside
walls. Because of your health problems arising from the rental unit mould
and because of the allegations against you by the landlord, you should
consider hiring a mould lawyer to represent you in this mould and pet issue.
Please visit website: Mould Lawyer.
[May
15, 2002]
Q.
I
live in Saginaw, Michigan and I have had mould in my house for over a year
and it has gotten worse. I rent and the landlord has known about this
growing problem since it started he has done nothing about it. The mould is
black and there is quite a bit of it and I have recently called the
housing inspectors to check it out and they gave him 90 days to fix this
and many other things like pealing paint and other things and in 2 weeks
from today his 90 days are up and he has done nothing. I have 4 kids
and they have all been sick with upper respiratory problems for about 4
months now. One of my children who is 3 has bad asthma and this does
not help and they have missed so much school for emergency room visits to
the hospital. I have 2 autistic children and to tell the truth they
have learning disorders already and I do not know what this is doing to
them. I can not sit by any longer on this I have told the land lord
many times to fix this problem as he wont the basement leaks bad when it
rains and some times when it just sprinkles. I am tired of this and
having my children just lay around the house coughing and fevers and
taking them to the emergency room
one child has been in the E.R.7 times in the last 3 months they even kept
him over night. they all have
the same symptoms. Can you tell me a good lawyer? I have
the health dept coming over to check this out also and they will test the
mould. My daughter who is autistic is 5 and her lead level was 4 in
1999 now I have to get them all tested because they tell me that they
should have a level of 0 and I have lived here since 1986 and it has went
through 2 landlords when the other guy owned it he kept everything up and
he got sick so he sold them to this guy and since then he has
done nothing to fix anything. please reply back on how I can get a
lawyer.
A.
With the double threat of both lead and mould contamination of your rental
house, you need to to move your family out immediately to safer living
quarters. If you do find a good attorney, it will take months or years to
get legal justice against the landlord. In the interim, your family's
health gets worse every day you remain in the house. If your landlord is
court-ordered to repair the home, you will have to leave anyway to enable
the mould remediation procedures to be done. Before you surrender
possession of the rental house, have it thoroughly mould-tested, whether by
the health dept. or by a professional company like Mould Inspector. For
testing tips, please visit Mould Testing. To find a lawyer, please visit:
Mould Lawyer
.
[April 30,
2002]
Q.
I
have been diagnosed with a mould induced respiratory illness but my doctor
can't prove it. As many as 50 of my co-workers have filed for related
compensation all have been denied as work related illness. The mould
infestation was the worst I have heard of in my research. Here is
the kicker. The effect medium was 74 buses used to transport disabled and
sick people. The cover up is amazing and I literally fear for my own
safety. Everyone in power has buried the issue and minimized the
infestation. I keep active in the media and the public eye trying to
expose the realities and liabilities of this issue. I also have charges
laid against my former employer with the Canadian human rights commission.
I have lived this nightmare for more than two years and am now very well
educated in many of the facts relating to this issue. What I need is
support for the victims and testimony to the facts. All I have
received is double talk and unaccountability. I hope to hear from you in
this matter. I don't know how long I can or for that matter will be able
to keep up the fight. A.
Thank you, Wayne, for bringing your serious situation to the public's
attention. When employers ignore the valid health complaints of their
employees, and when requests for assistance to government agencies go
unanswered, the best way to deal with the problem is a well-documented
lawsuit against such uncaring employers. Mould Inspector has herein
published your letter, name, and email address to facilitate contact with
you from anyone who can help you and your co-workers. Go find different
doctors who can test your and your co-workers blood for mould antibodies to
document the presence of mould inside your bodies. Also, have a lung
specialist [pulmonary physician] take lung biopsies to test for moulds
growing inside your lungs. The transport buses should also be tested for
elevated levels of unhealthy mould spores.
[April 30,
2002]
Q.
I may have
mould in my apt I am renting. My kids and I have been very sick and
we have mostly all the symptoms. What can we do. It is
causing us many health problems at the moment....We are on disability
for other health problems, and this is making it worse. The
landlord was told 3 times about a hole coming in from the ceiling in
bathroom, and they came and patched it with spackle all 3 times.
It keeps coming open. The smell of mould is in the bathroom and
other rooms in house. I cannot afford a specialist, as I found out
they cost over $150 dollars minimum. What can I do? Can you
help? I need to find a good attorney.
A.
Most landlords don't carry about the bad health effects of mould
infestation in their apartments or rental houses. With limited funds,
you ought to locate your local Legal Aid Society or other
community-based legal services plan to help you to get the attention of
your landlord to get your apartment mould contamination problems tested
and remediated. Another alternative is to find an attorney on the
website: Mould
Lawyer. Your best bet would be to move as soon as possible to a mould-safe
apartment to protect your family's health against serious health
problems that can be caused by living in a moldy apartment.
[Feb. 4, 2002]
Q.
I have been sick with a sinus infection and cough for over two months.
After one round of antibiotics it hadn't gone away so I returned to the
doctor. Had two more weeks of antibiotics, still no cure. Then it dawned
on me that there were about a dozen of us at my job who all had chronic
sinus infections - four people who had to have sinus surgery and still are
having problems. I have asked that our building be tested and after some
delay they have said they will. I am going to an ENT to have a CAT scan
and further treatment. I am afraid to continue working in this building
until the mould has been confirmed and removed. I have requested to work at
home, but this was denied. Are there any legal precedents that would allow
me to stay out of this building until the results are in? I don't want to
do further damage to my body and once the infection is cleared, certainly
don't want to be re-infected again. What are my rights? I presume once the
mould is confirmed I will have a workers comp case, but until then I don't
have enough sick leave to cover the time off that I would need while they
test/fix the building. Also, I want to thank you for such a comprehensive
webpage - the information gained here has helped arm me with the
information I needed to push my employer to do the necessary testing. You
have put a lot of work into this site and I just want you to know that I
(and I'm sure thousands of others) appreciate your work. Who knew that
mould infestation was such a prevalent problem causing such serious health
problems?
A.
Ask your employer to purchase a number of Honeywell brand HEPA air
purifier [portable] from Lowe's or Home Depot or an appliance. If your
boss won't do so, buy one for your area at your own expense [to be
reimbursed in the future when your future attorney pursues your legal
rights against your employer]. Put one hepa filter into each work
area or office. The Hepa filters will 24 hours suck airborne mould spores
out of the air to dramatically improve your indoor air quality while you
are waiting for mould testing and remediation. Second, test the office air
yourself immediately by using our do-it-yourself mould test kit techniques
with mould identification analysis by the Mold Inspector Laboratory, as
explained at Mould
Testing. Don't rely on the mould test results that have been requested by your employer. You may not
receive [as an employee] all of the test results because the mould
inspector's obligation is solely to your employer. Third, after you have
mould test results that prove there is a mould contamination problem at
work, hire a local attorney to provide you with legal guidance and to send
a demand letter to your employer to correct the problem immediately while
you work with pay at home. The various legal theories that can be used to
sue are explained in the legal chapter of my book Mould Legal Book,
available by clicking on:
Product
Catalog.
[Feb.
21, 2002]
Q.
Seeing
your Q and A section almost made me cry. I live in Santa Monica, CA with
my wife and 3 ˝ year old child. We’ve been having increased respiratory
and sinus problems and know that there is a mould problem in our unit.
There is inadequate drainage from the roof of the building and I feel that
it is the main cause. Also, we have no proper ventilation in our bathroom.
Well,
the property management company has finally called in some “Risk
Management” people who inspected and indeed found lots of moisture. They
did not take any mould samples however.
From
what I read, I guess we should try and get tested by a respiratory
specialist, then take steps in moving away from the source.
Your
site is very helpful and we will probably ask you for a reference in
having a specialist come out to inspect our place when we take legal
actions. Do you have any recommendations for an inspector in Santa Monica,
CA? How much does it run and can we use the results for legal purposes?
A.
You should hire and pay for your own apartment mould inspection and
apartment mould testing so that you know what mould health risks your family
is really exposed to. Most landlords will not pay for thorough mould
inspection and mould testing, and most do not care about the health damage
caused by moldy apartments to residents. For this reason, instead of
calling such negligent landlords "slum lords," I think the most
appropriate description of such bad landlords would be "mould
lords." If you have your own written inspection and testing
results, you [or, better yet, an attorney on your behalf] can insist upon
immediately moving you to a mould-safe apartment and pay for a complete
disinfecting or replacement of all of your mould-contaminated personal
possessions, as well as compensation for medical testing and medical
treatment of your family members. To find a Certified Mould Inspector in
your area, please visit:
Certified Mould Inspectors.
For do-it-yourself mould testing, please visit:
Mould Testing.
More answered legal questions are
at:
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